Interesting and disapointing to see the start that WBS is off to. Everyone has an opinion, here's mine. I'll start it off by stating a few assumptions (hopefully I'm right, or its going to be a looooong season)

- Let's assume that the WBS Pen's goaltending is actually going to be okay. (currently both keepers have 25 AHL goalies ahead of them statistically )- And while we are assuming, let's say the "NHL ready Defense" is going to be okay as well.

That puts the forwards in the spotlight. I was somewhat surprised and saddened to see some of last year's WBS forwards go, but that's life in the AHL.

A quick look at some former WBS forwards show their departures are missed. I think some departures were GM's decisions, making the GM's share some of the blame for the current 0-4 record.

Yeah, I mean, as I noted in that one game (just one though), our forwards don't have much skill. So, when you let go of some AHL level talents and some catalysts and you only replace it with mid-level prospects, you're going to have problems. They're just a bunch of workers mostly, it doesn't appear they have a go-to guy quite yet that can spark a big play, so that'll hurt them. Goaltending and defense will improve as the year goes on - goalie stats after 4 games or whatever is just not a realistic take on things...

But you make some good points certainly, that the guys we had down there were a big part of the success and the generation of offense. The guys that could get a spark going on are either young or non-existent. Beau Bennett is still figuring it out, Keven Veilleux is out for the year or whatever is wrong with him again, I'm guessing Megna is just scratched...so it's a work in progress...guys like Dupuis and Ferriero aren't overly skilled, but they're gonna be contributors. It just needs a little time to come together I think...they won't be particularly good, but once figure out their offensive gameplan a little better, they'll be passable...

The boys are back on the winning track. Shootout win over Portland. Trevor Smith with 2 goals, Holzapfel with a goal for the second straight game. Benn Ferriero and The Big Dog with shootout goals to seal the deal.

AHL goal leaders have 10 goals, Eric Tangradi has 9. BigdogE also leads the team in the minus catagory though... guess he's spending all his time in front of opponents net. Not the worst place to be. Considering how few points WBS players have, BigDogE might just keep the Cy Young stats 9-1

Video of Bennett going upstairs against Syracuse and coming back with some sauce a little later...getting better by the game. Holzapfel looking good too, could compete for a roster spot if he's still under contract when the NHL kicks off again...

That goal by Bennett was nice...a real sniper's goal to roof it shortside like that. I saw he's also leading the team in points after starting a little slowly. It would be fantastic to have a homegrown top-6 winger.

What's the deal with Zatkoff? Is he a legit prospect for at least a back-up job in the NHL or is he another Chiodo, Sabourin, Thiessen type (i.e. a career-AHLer who gets hot for a bit and makes us think the Pens have a legit goalie prospect in the pipeline before falling off the map)?

I think he's got back-up potential, for sure. His and Vokoun's contracts run out at the same time too. He's been solid in the A for while, there just wasn't as much room on the Kings' depth chart than there is on the Pens' (if we even have one).

I believe Zatkoff could be an NHL backup this season and not look out of place. Whether he has starting ability, I'm not sure. The thing about goalies today - and if I've said it once, I've said it a thousand times - it's not so much the skill level of the goaltender but the consistency in which he can bring the best of his skill level to the forefront. Goaltending talent, on the whole, has evened out dramatically since the popularization of the butterfly in the mid-90's.

The thing about Bennett that most impresses me so far is not his skill level, vision, or position...all of which have been as good as advertised (skill) or developed to the point where they should be for his level (vision, position)...it's his leg strength and ability to maintain the puck. He was drafted at somehting like 160 lbs, but now is a very solid 200+, and it shows how much of that's in his legs with how hard he is to move around in the corners and in the defensive zone. Put that kind of top-level skill together with a sturdy frame...some real nice potential right now for Beau.